


I'm Still Me

by citysonfire



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-23 00:15:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6098568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/citysonfire/pseuds/citysonfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aaron's angry with the way Cain has been treating him lately.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Still Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sort of coda to the episode that aired Tuesday 23rd March.  
> It deals with Aaron's storyline and what Gordon did to him but has nothing explicit.

Aaron was still seething. He couldn’t deal with being around his mum after she’d pretty much blurted out the entire thing to the pub so he’d slept on the sofa at Keeper’s Cottage. Vic had questioned him to start with, kept asking him why he was in her home instead of at the pub but Adam and Robert talked to her and made her leave him alone. Though Aaron wasn’t sure what the point was, Vic would soon find out, just like everyone else in the village.

Aaron knew it was hard for his mum but that was nothing compared to what it was like for him. He couldn’t understand how she couldn’t keep quiet when clearly Robert and Adam managed because Vic still didn’t have a clue, she even had a go at him for leaving Adam in the lurch. She was Adam’s wife and Robert’s little sister and she didn’t have any idea why the two of them were standing by him. Maybe it was because they weren’t family and were more removed from the situation and that’s why they could keep quiet. Aaron didn’t know but he’d forever be thankful for the two of them. At least there were still some people he could trust, and he’d never thought he could trust Robert again. 

Aaron had only come back to the pub to get his work gear, he wasn’t planning on sticking around to see Diane and Doug’s pitying looks or hear his mum’s half-assed apologies, when he saw Cain. Aaron was grabbing a bottle of water from the backroom when Cain walked in. 

“Is your mum around?” Cain asked.

“Don’t know,” Aaron said as he took a swig from the bottle. He tried not to be hurt as he saw that Cain still wouldn’t look him in the eye, a part of him had thought after some time away everything between them would go back to normal. 

“Fine, I’ll come back later.” Cain made to leave when Aaron’s voice stopped him.

“I’m still me you know.” Aaron screwed the top back on his water bottle, not taking his eyes off Cain. If he didn’t say this now he wasn’t sure when or if he would. 

Cain turned to face him, “Course I do.”

Aaron snorted, “Yeah right.”

“I do!”

“No, you can’t even look at me, can barely even stand being in the same room as me! I have had to hear mum tell the entire pub what he did to me and you’d think my Uncle could string a few words together and be on my side but no.”

Cain stared at the floor, “Aaron I –”

“No this is my time to talk. I get it’s hard for you and upsetting but you have only known about this for weeks, this has been my life for years! I am still the same person I was a month ago, you just know something I’ve been trying to deal with for over a decade! So I’m sorry if you no longer think of me as a man or whatever is going on in your head but that’s not my problem. I have got enough going on without worrying about you.”

Aaron sighed and was strangely satisfied with the way he’d managed to shut Cain up, “You know pretty much the only reason I went to the police was to stop you killing him, I know what it feels like when you kill someone and I didn’t want that hanging over you no matter how much he deserved it.” 

Aaron shook his head, “I love you but if you can’t love me or be around me anymore, I don’t want anything to do with you.”

Aaron made to leave, making sure to not brush against Cain as he went to the door when Cain grabbed his sleeve, “Aaron…” Cain looked at him with tears in his eyes but didn’t say anything else. Aaron gave him a bitter smile and tried to pull his arm from Cain’s grasp when Cain suddenly pulled Aaron around and wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in Aaron’s shoulder. Aaron tensed for a moment before holding onto Cain tight. 

“You know I suck at this emotions stuff,” Cain whispered. 

Aaron chocked out a laugh and gripped onto Cain’s jacket even tighter.

“I have been selfish though, you are the most important thing right now. My problems are nothing to do with you, I might need some time but you… I never stopped loving you.” 

Aaron felt Cain pull back and he reluctantly loosened his hold on him, Cain’s watery eyes met Aaron’s own and he knew Cain meant it, “You are the bravest bloke I know. You’re amazing and don’t let anyone tell you different, you hear?”

Aaron nodded and did his best to swallow his tears. 

“You’re brilliant Aaron,” Cain said with a small smile before he patted Aaron on the cheek. “Now get to work you slacker.” He stepped back and Aaron watched as he saw Cain pull himself together before his eyes, putting a careful mask back over his emotions. 

Aaron did his best to do the same, he took a deep breath, pulled his shoulders back and with one final nod from Cain he felt like he could face the world, or at the very least make it to the scrapyard without second-guessing himself or thinking too much about what people might think when they see him.


End file.
